John Anthony White is an American musician who was the guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock duo the White Stripes. He was a key artist of the 2000s indie and garage rock movements, noted for his musical techniques, eccentricity, and use of analog technology.
After the White Stripes split up in 2011, he found success with his solo career and business ventures.
real name: John Anthony White né Gillis
labels: XL Recordings, Third Man Records
genres: rock music, alternative rock, blues
awards: Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance
plays: guitar, mandolin, voice, piano, drum kit, musical keyboard
member of: The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, The White Stripes
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
John Anthony Gillis, named after John the Baptist, was born in Detroit, Michigan, on July 9, 1975. He is the youngest of ten children of the late Teresa (née Bandyke; 1930–2026) and Gorman M. Gillis (1927–2006). His mother's family was Polish, while his father was of Scottish heritage by way of Nova Scotia, Canada. He was raised in large part by his siblings, the first of which was 21 years older than him. He equated them to having additional parents.
At 19 years old, White had landed his first professional gig as the drummer for the Detroit band Goober & the Peas, and was still in that position when the band broke up in 1996. It was in this band that he learned about touring and performing onstage. After the band's split, he settled into working as an upholsterer by day while moonlighting in local bands, as well as performing solo shows. Though a bartender by trade, Meg began to learn to play the drums in 1997, and according to Jack, "When she started to play drums with me, just on a lark, it felt liberating and refreshing." The couple became a band, calling themselves the White Stripes. Two months after forming, on July 14, 1997 (also known as Bastille Day, which White recounted),...
The White Stripes' fifth album, Get Behind Me Satan, was recorded in White's own home and marked a change in the band's musical direction, with piano-driven melodies and experimentation with marimba and a more rhythm-based guitar playing by White. It was released on June 7, 2005, to critical acclaim. Also in 2005, while collaborating with Brendan Benson—a fellow Michigan native whom White had worked with before—they composed a song called "Steady, as She Goes". This inspired them to create a full band, and they invited Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of the Greenhornes to join them in what would become The Raconteurs. The musicians met in Benson's home studio in Detroit and, for the remainder of the year, they recorded when time allowed....
On July 19, 2024, White distributed test pressings of his upcoming sixth solo studio album by secretly including copies of it with purchases made at Third Man Records locations. Select tracks from the mysterious new album premiered on the WDET radio station that same day. White later announced the album to be called No Name, which was released on August 2, 2024. It received acclaim from critics, who noted his return to blues, the album's raw nature and the similarity to the sound he championed with the White Stripes. The Detroit Free Press said White's album-release methodology "made a stand for rock mystique". White commenced the “No Name Tour” on July 27, 2024. Shows on the first leg of the tour took place in small, club-like venues and...
Underlined songs have their story further down.
"Fly Farm Blues" is a song by rock musician Jack White. The song was written and used for the rock documentary film It Might Get Loud, which featured White, along with Jimmy Page and The Edge.
It was released by White's record label Third Man Records and online.
The song was written by White during the filming of It Might Get Loud, a documentary featuring White, after he and director Davis Guggenheim had discussed that songs nowadays are over-prepared and over-produced. Guggenheim, however, disagreed, and White wrote and recorded "Fly Farm Blues" in ten minutes. The song was used in the soundtrack for It Might Get Loud.
The song was released as an A-side only 7-inch promotional vinyl record by White's label Third Man Records; originally only 300 copies were issued. The song is also available online at the iTunes Store and Spotify.
"Freedom at 21" is a song by American musician Jack White from his debut solo album Blunderbuss (2012). Third Man Records distributed the single on April 1, 2012 by releasing 1000 helium balloons attached to flexi-disc copies of the track.
It was released for digital download and as a 7-inch vinyl single on June 9 and June 11, respectively, with the B-side "Inaccessible Mystery". A music video directed by Hype Williams and starring Brittany Colombo was uploaded to White's YouTube channel on July 16, 2012.
"Freedom at 21" was released as a single on April 1, 2012. To distribute the single, Third Man Records released 1000 helium balloons attached to flexi-disc copies of the song. In addition, the balloons were attached to postcards with directions on how to inform Third Man Records of the discovery. The single was later released via digital download on June 9 and as a 7-inch single on June 11 with the B-side "Inaccessible Mystery".
"Freedom at 21" contains elements of hip hop music. Its "clattering drum pattern" was created by placing a tape echo on a drum beat played by Carla Azar.
"Freedom at 21" was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
The music video for "Freedom at 21" was directed by Hype Williams and stars Brittany Colombo as a police officer. It was filmed in June 2012 over a five-day period. Filming sessions for the desert scenes occurred in Lancaster, California and lasted between four and five hours per day. The remainder of the video was filmed at a studio in Burbank, California. During production, police officers taught Colombo various maneuvers, such as placing handcuffs on a person. A stunt double was used for shots in which the police officer rides a motorcycle.
"High Ball Stepper" is an instrumental track performed by American musician Jack White. It was released as a promotional single from his second studio album, Lazaretto, on April 1, 2014.
The song charted in several countries. It was also used for some intros that were used for the US Soccer Team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
"Lazaretto" is the first single from Jack White's second solo album of the same name. The live version of the song was recorded, pressed and released on the same day.
On the B-side was a cover of Elvis Presley's song "Power of My Love".
According to White, the musical arrangement to "Lazaretto" was inspired by MC Lyte's 1989 hit single "Cha Cha Cha".
In one positive review that emphasized White's guitar prowess, Billboard wrote that the single "is in-and-out, leaving the listener panting and ready to hear more from White's new album." Giving the single four stars, Chuck Arnold of People said that on the track, White "unleashes one of his funkiest grooves since 'Seven Nation Army'." Madison Vain, with Entertainment Weekly called the song a "dense, manic, and fantastically indulgent display of musicality," and said it "further cement[s] his position as rock & roll's primal keeper of the flame."
"Love Interruption" is a song by American musician Jack White. It was released by XL Recordings, Columbia Records, and Third Man Records as the lead single from his debut solo studio album, Blunderbuss (2012).
The song was made available for digital download on January 31, 2012 and as a 7-inch vinyl single on February 7. Written and produced by White, the track is an Americana song and a blues ballad with lyrics that explore love using violent imagery.
"Love Interruption" was recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, Tennessee on December 7, 2011. Multiple versions of the song were created during its production: one with a full backing band and another that did not feature drums. The latter was ultimately used in the final version of the track. This recording was created in a single take, while the clarinet and bass clarinet were added after the live session.
Rolling Stone described "Love Interruption" as a blues ballad, and Joe Robinson of Diffuser.fm characterized it as "gospel-infused Americana". The song is two minutes and 36 seconds in length, and it consists of White harmonizing with Ruby Amanfu, creating a melody that utilizes elements of country soul. It features the bass clarinet and a prominent Wurlitzer electric piano—played by Emily Bowland and Brooke Waggoner, respectively—while acoustic guitar chords work alongside the piano to drive the song. According to sheet music published by Universal Music Publishing Group, the song is written in the key of E major in common time, with a tempo of 96 beats per minute.
The song was met with favorable reviews from critics. Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone gave the song a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, describing it as a "loopy little soul sketch" and stating that the song's "organ spritz and puppy-eyed Casio bassoon evoke 'Son of a Preacher Man'". He spoke favorably of Amanfu's vocals, finding that her "harried backing warble fits [the] song". Jem Aswad of Billboard described "Love Interruption" as "an unusual but tantalizing lead track" and concluded that it "leaves you lusting for more." Rebecca Schiller of NME described the song as "a drumless, minimalist affair based on the chord progression of the Beta Band's 'Dry The Rain'". She said that the track's "intensity is in the lyrics and its powerful, repetitive...
"Sixteen Saltines" is the second single from Jack White's 2012 solo album Blunderbuss. It was when White first played this song on Saturday Night Live that the album had a surge in popularity.
In the music video directed by AG Rojas, White sits on a windowsill with his hands tied in front of him with rope as two men painted white surround him while a boy painted in blue watches. The video also contains various clips of children doing random activities and ends with Jack White then tied up in a vehicle that the boy painted in blue is about to set on fire, but the video is cut before any fire is seen.
"Would You Fight for My Love?" is a song by American musician Jack White. It was first released as a promo CD single in Europe on June 30, 2014, and later released to alternative radio stations on August 26 and as a 7-inch single on November 5.
The official music video for the song was released on September 12, 2014. "Would You Fight for My Love?" peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
The official music video for "Would You Fight for My Love?", lasting four minutes and 20 seconds, premiered on YouTube and Vevo on September 12, 2014. It was directed by Robert Hales and produced by White and Nina Dluhy-Miller.